


A Golden Rainbow

by neosaiyanangel



Category: Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magika | Puella Magi Madoka Magica
Genre: Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, F/F, Ribbons, Souls
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-30
Updated: 2020-10-31
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:02:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 10,355
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27283861
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/neosaiyanangel/pseuds/neosaiyanangel
Summary: Mami Tomoe is a novice superhero in a world of heroes and villains. When she catches sight of an unknown girl with a strange power, she finds herself drawn towards her - and the secrets she keeps.
Relationships: Akemi Homura/Tomoe Mami
Comments: 4
Kudos: 13
Collections: Fic In A Box





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [VampirePaladin](https://archiveofourown.org/users/VampirePaladin/gifts).



It was a bright, shining day. The sun gazed warmly at the Earth, which soaked it up like a sponge. The sky was a robin’s egg blue with no clouds in sight.

It was days like this that Mami Tomoe loved. She  _ craved _ these days, days where she could simply relax and enjoy society and the lives of the individual layperson. People who were the backbone of everyday life. If Mami could choose, she would have loved to live a simple life, taking things day by day.

She’d taken the day off from her schoolwork to take in life. A cafe a long stroll from her apartment had her favorite tea in stock. On top of that, they were serving some rather festive desserts. Normally Mami preferred to bake her own dessert, but it looked too delicious to ignore.

So there she sat, with her favored tea and a delightful dessert, listening to the bustle of the city around her.

_ Bam! _

Mami stopped mid-sip and sighed as something exploded just down the block. It couldn’t be that simple, could it? It was a good thing she’d decided to keep her uniform on under her schoolgirl uniform. One never knew when disaster would hit.

Her brow furrowed as she leapt into action. People were running in various directions away from the explosion. With well-practiced ease, Mami slipped through the gaps between people. With the focus of everyone around her on getting away from danger, it was no issue for her to swiftly activate her powers.

Her schoolgirl uniform glowed lightly, the threads themselves seeming alive as they began receding into Mami’s soul. In their place, seamlessly, was her uniform. Her outfit that withstood her powers and, in fact, resonated with them. A yellow and brown affair, with a slight flower motif. In her hair in one such flower design was a focus amulet that she had obtained from an elder superhero. It glowed with a faint yellow light as it helped her shape her powers around her.

In the span of a few moments she went from an ordinary schoolgirl to her superhero persona.

Mami lashed out a hand, flicking her wrist towards a streetlight. A ribbon manifested and shot out, latching onto the light. Mami pulled with both her arm and soul, the ribbon shortening and pulling her up and out of the crowd. She balanced herself just so on top of the light and looked towards where the explosion had happened.

From her new vantage point, she could see some kind of creature stretching out, wings and tentacles spreading wide. If Mami had to guess, she would’ve bet that it was a summoning gone wrong; it didn’t seem to be minding anyone as it looked about at the people around it.

The first priority was the pedestrians trying to escape the creature. Distract it so they all had a chance to get away. Then, once it was safe, it would be time to bring out the big guns.

Mami planned out her attack in the span of a few moments. She flicked both her wrists this time, creating one ribbon to get her across the gap between her and the monster and the other to start her assault. As she flew over the heads of the laypeople, she quickly picked out her landing point.

She easily let go of the ribbon. Flying through the air, she did a small flip as she landed hard on her target: the monster itself. It recoiled, shocked at her intrusion. Before it could react, though, her other ribbon wrapped around it hard. Mami’s power flexed as it struggled against the seemingly flimsy ribbon. As she’d expected, it wasn’t strong enough to break her grip.

Mami summoned more ribbons, trying to control the beast’s movements. It screeched, pulling against her power, before it was able to slip its wings out of her grip. Mami tried to readjust, but found that she was too slow to stop it from taking off.

It flew clumsily, barely making it half a block over a small crowd of pedestrians who seemed frozen with fear before it rammed into the side of a building. The concrete side collapsed down towards another group of too-slow laypeople.

Mami reached out, ribbons flowing from her hand to capture the falling debris, when she suddenly realized the people weren’t where they had been before. It wasn’t that they had run for cover. It was like they had simply  _ vanished _ .

Out of the corner of her eye she caught sight of them. Down half the block, out of danger. They all looked frazzled and confused, shooting glances back towards Mami and the monster as they rushed away.

Save for one. One girl, around Mami’s age, seemed to be unafraid. Unphased by the going-ons around her. The stoic look on her face combined with the barely shifted long, black hair told the story of indifference. It looked like she’d been in the middle of the swiftly dispersing crowd. At the same time, it looked like she didn’t know any of them.

There was no mistaking the vanishing purple glow around her. She’d done  _ something _ . Mami would’ve believed it was teleportation.

Mami was shaken from her thoughts as the creature under her began trying to get back up. She took a quick look around. No more pedestrians. Good. That meant-

Mami swiftly summoned her Tiro Finale, her giant cannon meant for finishing blows, and blasted the creature clean in the back of its head. It didn’t so much explode as vanish into mist. After a few moments, its body fell to the ground, also vanishing into mist. Mami landed easily on the street. Her mental grip on her ribbons faded as she focused more on the girl she had seen.

Except she wasn’t there now. The girl had vanished from that spot. Mami looked about this way and that, trying to see where she might have gone.

No dice. The streets were empty now with the vanishing crowd in the distance. Mami was alone.

Her curiosity had been piqued now. She’d never heard of a girl like that being part of any circles, hero or villain. A power like that would’ve been invaluable to either side, so it wasn’t likely she was being downplayed.

An undiscovered superpowered individual. Interesting. It warranted more investigation.

But first, as Mami remembered with sirens in the distance, she would have to do the paperwork for this particular monster.


	2. Chapter 2

Mami was trying hard not to be noticeable. She was, again, at the cafe with the delightful tea and the interesting desserts. Inconspicuous. Or, at least, that was what she was aiming for. Things had gone back to normal - as normal as a recent monster attack could be, at least. The streets again had people milling about.

Normally Mami liked to generally people watch. This time, she was looking for something, someone in particular. She needed to at least catch sight of her again, if not have a conversation.

The girl had to be local. There was no other reason for her to be in the area. So Mami would focus on staying in the area to catch her. It may take a few days, or weeks, of camping out. That would be fine. The reward would most certainly be worth it.

Then, again out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of a flash of black. Her head snapped to the left as she caught sight of the girl.

She was in a schoolgirl outfit. It was a different school than Mami’s, which was likely why she didn’t recognize her. There was a dark red ribbon in her long hair.

Her eyes...they were sharp and focused. Looking forward with purpose, she marched through the crowd as easily as Mami had during the attack.

Mami left her seat abruptly, a mild pang in her gut as she had to leave the remains of her excellent treat behind. She slipped into the crowd behind the girl. Mami kept a respectable distance, simply focusing on following the girl.

It was a rather blase route. A quick stop at a bakery, the supermarket, a convenience store… All rather basic, everyday things.

It wasn’t until the girl stopped that Mami had realized they were in a mostly deserted back alley. It was a strange street; they hadn’t taken any major turns or anything. It seemed almost hidden away in plain sight.

Mami didn’t bother trying to hide as the girl turned to look at her. Clearly she’d been found out.

“Why are you following me?” the girl asked, her hands shifting her groceries about on her hip.

“I was...curious.” Mami wondered how to broach the topic.

“You saw me.” It was said so simply that it was obvious what she was referring to.

Mami nodded. “Yes. I saw you. Just as you saw me.”

A light of recognition went on in the girl’s eyes. “You’re that hero. I don’t know your name.”

“I don’t have one yet,” Mami admitted. She had yet to think of a name for herself despite working for the last year. Her powerset wasn’t really one for frontline work, so she wasn’t at the core of any team.

“Hm.” The girl watched Mami for a minute. “Is there a reason you’re talking with me then?”

“I just wanted to talk. Maybe connect with you.” Mami tilted her head. “I’m surprised you haven’t broken out yet! Teleportation is a coveted superpower.”

“I don’t teleport,” the girl said brusquely.

Mami blinked. “Oh.” She wished she had a bit of tea to sip on in thought. Instead, she swallowed and asked, “What did you do with those people then?”

The girl shifted again before suddenly vanishing. Mami looked around, startled, before she went into action. Ribbons burst from her wrist as she pulled herself onto a nearby roof. Landing easily on her feet, she used the new vantage point to look about the side streets.

There! Mami caught the brief glimpse of the girl going into a slightly run-down set of apartments.

“Interesting,” she murmured to herself. And it was! The girl had caught Mami’s interest like no others had. It was such a surprise to think that there was someone with superpowers that no one had found yet. Mami had been just seven years old when she had been discovered. The training she’d received from the local superhero guild - a branch of a larger organization - had been enough to set her on her own path.

And this girl...she clearly had control of her powers. But she didn’t seem to be affiliated with anyone.

At the same time, she clearly wanted to keep to herself...should Mami get involved as she was? Getting involved in this girl’s life even with her resisting Mami’s attempts?

...she should stop for now. She had a general idea of where the girl lived. It wasn’t like she would be rushed to make contact with her again. A naturally evolving relationship would be what she wanted.

Mami wanted to make friends. A luxury she didn’t have yet. And one that she still yearned for to this day.

* * *

Mami smiled quietly to herself as she walked her way up to her apartment. It was a good day. A quiet day. A couple of surprise quizzes marred the day a bit, but that didn’t outshine the rest of the day. These days were days that superheroes looked forward to.

There was also something else that made her slightly happy. That was the person tailing her. Normally, Mami was cautious. But the familiar purple light she’d caught sight of a few times told her the tale that she needed to know.

Mami paused in front of her door. Deciding to interrupt the game, she loudly asked, “Have you seen enough?”

There was the sound of nothing for a few moments. Then, footsteps, now not covered, echoed up behind her. Mami turned to greet the girl she had followed before.

“I wanted the same from you as you had from me,” the girl noted.

“Where I live?” Mami asked, again interested.

The girl nodded. “I’m not a fool. I know you followed me all the way to my home. Why, I don’t know.”

“Curiosity,” Mami admitted honestly.

“Curiosity?”

“Yes.” Mami unlocked her door and stepped to the side. “Would you like to come in? I have some cake that we can eat over while we discuss things.”

“I don’t trust you.” The girl watched Mami carefully before taking steps forward into the apartment. “But the fact that you haven’t reported me to any agency tells me that you aren’t looking to do anything to me.”

“I’m just looking for…” Mami paused. What, exactly, was she looking for? Was it too cheesy to say ‘friendship’? After a moment, she settled on, “a companion.”

“I’m fine by myself,” the girl noted as she passed Mami into the apartment.

“If I may ask, what is your name?” Mami queried as she shut the door to her apartment.

“...Homura.”

“Mine is Mami. Mami Tomoe.” Mami smiled warmly after her. “It’s nice to meet you, Homura.”


	3. Chapter 3

Mami stood outside of Homura’s apartment building, thinking. Their first get-to-know-each-other session had gone rather well. Homura was a bit stand-offish, but that didn’t deter Mami. If anything, it made her more curious. Especially once they started talking.

They discussed basic things: school, life in the city...Homura got defensive about her powers. She still wouldn’t say what they were beyond it not being teleportation. Mami wasn’t sure if she was lying to protect herself or some other reason.

But. There was something during the conversation that struck Mami. Homura had mentioned - clearly a slip of the tongue - about protecting people. She lived where she did to protect others. It was interesting; as far as Mami had been aware, this part of town was, while run down, safer than most! Superheroes almost never had to come here.

...Maybe that was because of Homura. Maybe...maybe Homura took care of problems before anyone knew.

Which was what brought her to Homura’s apartment. While she’d been distracted by a slight burn from slipping with her tea, she was undeterred from her mission. Mami was looking around while in her civilian outfit, trying to figure out-

“Hello!” a bright voice called out above her. Mami looked up to find a girl, the same age as her and Homura with bright pink hair, looking down cheerily at her. She was wearing pajamas for some reason; strange as it was past mid-morning. The girl asked, “What are you up to?”

“I’m trying to find Homura,” Mami answered. “I wanted to talk with her more.”

“Oh! You know Homura?” The girl seemed even more relaxed than she was before. “She’s not in right now. I can keep you company until she gets back!”

Mami frowned. “Should you be inviting strangers into your home?”

“If you know Homura, then you’re fine,” the girl assured her. She turned to make her way off the balcony but stopped short as she exclaimed, “Oh! I didn’t tell you my name!” Again peeking over the balcony, she said, “My name’s Madoka. Madoka Kaname.”

“And I’m-” Mami started before the girl - Madoka - rushed off again. She shook her head to herself. Strange girl…

Before she could think too much more on it, the door in front of her burst open. Madoka didn’t seem to have changed out of her pajamas, standing there offering Mami entry. Mami gave a small smile in return as she took the offer and entered.

Madoka shut the door and began bounding up the steps in front of Mami. Mami followed quietly, thinking on what questions she could ask to get a better understanding of Homura. This girl seemed to know Homura far more than Mami did. It would simply be a good idea to ask a bit. Not so much as to pry. Just enough to get a better picture.

After a couple of flights Madoka rushed over to a door to the right and fiddled with the doorknob. Mami took in the cute decorations on the door. It was an inviting display of colors and ‘welcome!’ signs with a couple of ‘have a great day!’ signs breaking those up. After a few moments, Madoka was able to open the door.

“It sticks sometimes,” she answered the unasked question as she, again, urged Mami inside. Not wanting to seem ill-mannered, Mami entered just enough so Madoka could shut the door. Madoka took her shoes off and began explaining, “My mom’s at work and my dad’s out shopping, so it’s just me and my little brother right now.”

“And you thought inviting a stranger into your home was a good idea?” Mami asked in what she hoped wasn’t a patronizing way as she removed her shoes as well.

“Homura would’ve said the same thing! But,” Madoka said, grabbing at Mami’s hands, “if you’re friends with Homura, you’re safe.”

“Ah.” Again, the strangeness of this girl struck Mami. In another life, she could’ve pictured them being friends. A confident upperclassmen and her underclassman mate.

Not in this reality. The life Mami led wasn’t exactly one that offered pleasantries to the laypeople. It wasn’t a bad life. Just...lonely.

She shook herself out of her slight melancholy as Madoka led her through the apartment. It was a rather roomy place considering how run-down the outside was, with high-tier furniture and wall decorations. It screamed an upper-middle class family.

Why live here then? This was a more run-down part of the city. They could’ve easily afforded elsewhere, even with constant monster and supervillain attacks.

“Here! Sit!” Madoka indicated a rather plush couch near a playpen. Who must have been her brother was in the playpen, messing around with a variety of toy blocks.

Mami sat and waited for the girl to say something.

“It’s really nice that you’re friends with Homura,” Madoka gushed. “Homura doesn’t have many friends. Just me, and Sayaka...kinda...Kyouko, too, when Kyouko isn’t being antisocial.”

“You all live in the same building?” Mami asked, wondering where this was going.

“Yeah! Homura found all of us and brought us together, to protect us from Kyubey.” Madoka shook her head. “Homura was able to convince our parents somehow. I don’t know how. Maybe it’s because she does such a good job stopping the bad guys from attacking us?”

There were several points that Mami caught that she wanted to know more about. She decided to grab the first one, the one that had already been bugging her. “How does she stop the villains from attacking this part of town?”

“Well, she uses her powers!” Madoka said like it was the most obvious thing in the world. “Hers aren’t like mine. Hers are a lot cooler!”

Mami’s world tilted slightly. “You have superpowers too?”

“We all do! Didn’t Homura tell you?” Madoka tsked. “I’m sure she must have, or else you wouldn’t know where we live.” She grabbed onto Mami’s burned hand and sighed. “This must be bothersome. You should be more careful!”

Madoka settled her hands around the burn and began humming. A pink glow emanated from her hands, surrounding the burn. Right in front of Mami’s eyes, the burn vanished into nothing.

Madoka smiled. “See? I can heal others. Sayaka can heal herself and has some superstrength. Kyouko is super fast and nimble, and can summon spears. It’s really cool!”

“That’s…” Mami didn’t have any words for it. An entire building full of supers? And no one knew about it? How was this possible? She shook her head and began, “I-”

A slamming noise caught her attention. Mami looked over to the window, confused, to see a plush doll sitting on the balcony looking in.

“It’s here…” Madoka said with a squeak of fear. “Why is it here? _How_ is it here?”

“The cat toy?” Mami asked. She got up and went to the door. Looking back at Madoka, she asked, “Is it something you lost?”

“That’s-” Madoka was cut off by the sound of a gun going off. Mami burst into action, summoning several ribbons and a musket as she turned to meet her adversary.

She blinked, confused, to find Homura standing there on the edge of the balcony with the gun aimed at the toy. There were several holes in it, blood leaking out of each one. That was when Mami realized it wasn’t a toy.

“Homura!” Madoka cried out as she opened the balcony door. Homura came in, a frown on her lips.

“You led him here,” Homura accused, looking straight at Mami.

“I don’t think so,” Mami said slowly. “I was being cautious while coming here. I didn’t want to burst your security bubble.” She walked onto the balcony and poked the cat thing with her musket. “What is it?”

“This is Kyubey,” Homura answered. “It’s a monster. A beast that finds girls with superpowers and sucks them dry.”

“I’ve never heard anything of the sort,” Mami replied. And she hadn’t. Something like that would’ve been talked about in the circles she frequented. A creature that could eat superpowers? Unheard of.

“It works in secret. Preying on those that don’t know any better,” Homura continued explaining. “It promises the world in exchange for losing part of yourself. Those that accept its offer…” She looked even grimmer. “They find their wish twisted, and their soul collapsing. No one can live without their whole soul. Once everything finishes crashing down, it eats what’s left of you.”

“You just killed it,” Mami noted.

Homura shook her head. “They’re infinite. Another will come and take its place. It’s some kind of alien life form that eats souls.”

“So it just...grants wishes?” Mami asked. “Why not just ignore the offer?”

“It’s sneaky. It looks for any loophole it can to achieve its goal. Even pondering out loud can get it to feed,” Homura said.

“Ah…” Mami looked at Madoka. “Homura was protecting you from it?”

“Yes!” Madoka pulled on Homura’s arm. “Why didn’t you go back and stop it?”

“It had been on the balcony for quite some time. Too far back for me to go,” Homura explained. “I tried.”

Madoka bit her lip.

“There’s no way to stop it?” Mami asked. “I could contact my mentor an-”

“No!” Homura snapped. “You will _not_ bring any Federation goons in here. This is _their_ safe space, where they can live their lives free of that supers nonsense.”

The gap was obvious. “But not you?”

Homura closed her eyes. “Sacrifices need to be made.” She began walking towards the exit. “Follow me, Mami. Madoka, you stay put and _don’t open any doors_.”

Madoka nodded, unsure of herself. “Yeah. I think I can do that.”

Mami began following Homura. Out of the corner of her eye she caught sight of another cat thing on the balcony, eating the corpse of the other cat. Mami turned to say something to Homura, but found she had stopped to look at it as well.

“Monster…” Homura murmured before continuing on her way, Mami close behind.

Homura wasted no time when they got to her apartment. She opened the door like it hadn’t even been locked and strode in. Mami followed but stopped short as she caught what was inside.

It was like an alternate dimension. There was nothing that looked even remotely close to Madoka’s apartment. A couch in the middle of the wide open space was the only thing that looked normal. Otherwise it was a space that nothing made sense.

There was a pendulum hanging from the ceiling, swinging to and fro in the space. On the wall was what looked like tvs...except not. It was like the images were repeating and embedded there. It was all white, and looked to be almost endless.

Homura stopped to look at one of the tvs. She watched for a few moments before sighing. “It was close before.” Mami realized the image in the viewscreen was of the cat - Kyubey - sitting across the street, on the opposite building, simply watching. “I shouldn’t have blamed you for it finding them.”

“It was only logical,” Mami offered as she watched the screen. “I mean, I show up and then it appears…”

“It probably took you for an easy mark,” Homura noted. “A new super that I had taken in, with very little understanding of the issue.”

Mami thought for a minute as she simply watched Homura. Then she finally asked, “You stay here and fight alone? For the sake of these other girls?”

Homura nodded. “They’re all my...friends. As close as I can get to normal people, anyway.”

“I know that feeling all too well,” Mami said without thinking. Homura eyed her, and Mami felt like she’d said the wrong thing. Trying to explain better, she said, “I don’t belong with any group. I’m alone, in a world of people who don’t understand.” A smile was unable to be suppressed as she said, “But you do. You understand the loneliness. You…” She decided to dare. “You don’t have parents either, do you?”

“...no. I don’t.” Homura was quiet for a moment. Then she began to leave. “You may stay and have some food while I go warn the others. I have some staples like bread and peanut butter you can eat.”

Mami felt like it was an important step in the right direction. She nodded before asking, “Do you happen to have any tea?”

“No. You can have what I’ve offered.” The response brooked no debate.

Ah well. It was worth a shot. “I will take that offer, if I may?”

“I wouldn’t have offered if I wasn’t okay with it,” Homura said. Then, with a flick of her hair, she was gone. Vanished, per her norm.

Mami watched the viewscreens for a moment. The scene with Kyubey replayed over and over. Now, watching it closely, she could see the cat ‘looking’ straight at the screen.

She sighed before turning to find the kitchen in the blank emptiness.

* * *

“Shit shit shit shit SHIT!”

The screaming bout of language caught Mami by surprise. For a moment, she’d thought that Homura had been the one to say them. But the voice was wrong. Looking towards the entrance, she saw a blue-haired girl entering with Homura right behind her.

“You should’ve known better,” Homura chastised in her normal tone.

“I didn’t- I mean, how could I have known?!” the girl sputtered. “Kyubey hadn’t found us! We were _safe_!”

“What’s going on?” Mami asked, though her gut sank at what was obviously happening.

Homura looked at Mami. “Kyubey caught her wishing aloud and ‘granted’ her wish.”

“I was just, just musing aloud! I didn’t mean it!” She grabbed her head. “How could this have _happened_?!”

“Calm down,” Homura said.

“‘Calm down’? CALM DOWN!?” The girl snapped, “It’s eating my soul! EATING ME! If we can’t figure out a way to stop it…!” She slumped down. “I’ll just be _gone_.”

“Sayaka.” Homura looked on stoically. “I can’t promise to save you. I can promise that I’ll do everything I can to do so.”

Sayaka suddenly grabbed Homura’s legs. “I don’t want to die! I don’t want to _vanish_. I, I wanted to confess to Kyousuke. I wanted him to like me back! I didn’t…”

Mami went over and began trying to soothe the panicked girl. “It’ll be fine. We’ll figure something out.”

For the first time, Sayaka looked at Mami. “And who are _you_?”

“She’s...an ally,” Homura noted.

“Hmph! Unless she can explode Kyubey with her mind, I’m not too interested,” Sayaka grumbled.

“I can explode him with other things,” Mami said, trying to inject some mirth into the conversation.

“Good! Get to it!” Sayaka suddenly stopped, then sighed. “What am I saying? I’m doomed.”

“Focusing on the negative won’t change anything,” Homura said with an edge of ire.

Mami nodded. “Yes. We need-”

_Beep ba-da-beep ba-BEEP-beep_

The three of them looked at Mami’s hip. Specifically, her phone attached to her hip.

Mami just kinda...stared. That tone…

...why would her mentor be calling her now?


	4. Chapter 4

“Mami!” the jovial voice of her mentor called out to her. The crowds between them parted as if magically induced - it very well could have been - to free up the space between them.

Seated at Mami’s favorite table at the cafe by her apartment was the woman who had found Mami and her gift when Mami was a child, Melony. She was a tall heavy-set woman, with chubby cheeks and a boyish grin. A winter motif was her calling card; she rarely ever took off her parka and furry boots, even in the hottest of days.

As normal, she watched Mami approach with a smirk on her face. “Didja get lost getting here from your apartment?”

Mami shook her head, giving her a small smile even through the worry in her gut. “I wasn’t home. I was out taking care of some business.”

“Ah yes. Business.” Melony took a quick sip of what looked like a milkshake. She sighed happily as she licked her lips. “Delicious. You have good taste in where you eat.”

“This is a very well-rated cafe,” Mami said, getting slightly annoyed. Deciding to get to the point, she asked, “Why did you call me?”

“Hm?” Melony looked at Mami, surprised. “My, you’re cutting straight to the chase, aren’t you?” She clenched her hands together and put them in her lap. “Well…” One hand flashed as one of her jeweled pendants appeared in it. Her fingers tapped a tune on it as she said, “I can sense that you’ve been around other supers.”

Mami blinked. “What?”

“Oh yes. And, from what I can feel, they aren’t any from the Federation.” 

Mami frowned. “You’ve been spying on me?”

“Not exactly ‘spying’. More ‘casual surveillance.” A sharp look was in Melony’s eyes as she asked, “Mami, are you joining with some villains? Are you lost in the world?”

“ _ No _ !” Mami exclaimed. Then, more calmly, she said, “No, I am not.”

“Then who are you hanging out with? Who have you been around the last few days?” Melony pressed.

“I…” Mami paused. Should she tell Melony? Tell her about Homura and everyone? The Federation might be able to help with Kyubey...

_ “No!” Homura snapped. “You will not bring any Federation goons in here. This is their safe space, where they can live their lives free of that supers nonsense.” _

“...it must be coincidence,” Mami said simply. “I’ve been frequenting a new cafe.”

“Mami.” Melony was strangely serious. “Don’t mess with things you aren’t equipped to handle.”

“I think I can handle drinking some tea and eating cake,” Mami joked, wishing that she had some tea to sip.

“...okay. If you aren’t ready to tell me, I guess I’ll have to deal.” Melony stood from her seat. “You can talk to me any time, you know. I’ll be there to help if you need it.”

“With everyone from the Federation having your back,” Mami said the unsaid words.

“There’s nothing wrong with being part of a team.”

“With the politics to match.” Suddenly Mami knew what Homura had meant. The politics that had seemed like something all supers had to deal with...Madoka wouldn’t have fared well at all. Or Sayaka. They were meant for softer things.

Melony said nothing. Instead, the gem vanished into her palm. Finally she said, “Goodbye, Mami. Good luck with whatever you’re dealing with.”

“To you as well.”

Her mentor walked off into the crowd. Mami took a moment to calm down. A sigh escaped her lips as she thought on everything going on.

There was only one solution she had for the current moment.

She raised her hand, calling a waiter to her. “May I please order a tea?”

* * *

Mami stared. She stared deeply into the gem from her hat. The gem her mentor had given her, to help her focus her powers.

She was back in the safety and privacy of her apartment. She’d needed somewhere to sit and think on the mystery of her mentor. How had she known about Mami’s encounter with other supers? What was with the comment on ‘casual surveillance’? Melony had been purposely obtuse, but Mami at least had an idea.

Mami had never given too much thought on the gem. She’d had it as long as she could remember using her powers. To focus them, to guide them.

But…

But maybe, that was an excuse. Maybe it was a way to keep tabs on Mami without her knowing. Mami had never tried using her powers without the gem guiding her. What if? What if it was blocking her somehow? It was hard to believe that Melony would purposely limit Mami like that. At the same time, Mami had also never pictured Melony using it to spy on her.

Should she just throw it away? Get rid of it? The problem was that it had a homing spell put on it. It was to keep Mami from losing it, was the explanation. Now? That was hard to believe.

Melony’s gems were powered by shards of her soul. She split them off to imbue sapphires, rubies, whatever she felt like making with a variety of abilities. That’s what made her so dangerous.

Mami kept staring hard.

“What are you doing?”

The voice startled Mami into reflexively summoning ribbons and flinging them at the intruder. The intruder that suddenly wasn’t there anymore. That got Mami to relax even as she realized they were behind her now.

Letting out a heavy breath, Mami said as she pulled the ribbons back and turned, “I’ve become caught in a conundrum.” Homura stood next to the table, looking down at the gem. Clearly looking for more information, Mami continued, “I seem to have some spyware installed in my equipment.”

Homura’s eyes narrowed. “Oh?”

“Oh yes. Nothing too serious. Just enough to make me take action. Your secrets are still safe with me.” Mami reached down and picked up her gem. “This seems to have-”

Homura immediately grabbed the gem, tossed it into the air, and, pulling a gun out from absolutely nowhere, took a shot at it. A soft ‘ting’ echoed through the room as the bullet hit the gem and stopped abruptly. Both the gem and the now-flattened bullet fell to the table.

The dark-haired girl stared. Even through her stoicism Mami could feel the surprise.

“See? It’s not so easy,” Mami tsked.

“Hm.” Homura stood, thinking. “What is it that is spying on you?”

“My mentor seems to be using the fragment of her soul inside the gem to feel what is going on around me,” Mami explained. “I need some way to nullify it.”

“What do you need the gem for?”

“It helps me focus my powers.”

“...Could you force it out?” Homura asked.

“Hm?” Mami looked over to Homura, who now had a finger to her chin.

“The soul fragment. Could you force it out yourself? You use the gem already. You could purify it with your own powers maybe?” Homura said in thought, “I don’t know exactly how your powers work, but those ribbons have to come from somewhere.”

“My soul…” Mami said in wonder. “They manifest from my soul.”

Homura was right.  _ Homura was right _ . She could use her powers, force her soul into the gem so hard that Melony’s soul was forced out.

It would be hard. Melony’s soul made up the core of the gem. And Mami didn’t know what would happen.

“Would you stay here with me?” Mami asked. Pausing, she hesitantly said, “I don’t know-”

“I’ll stay.” Homura crossed her arms. “And I’ll help if I can.”

Mami smiled. “Thank you.”

They both sat down at the table. Mami took the gem into her hand and prodded it with her powers. Now, feeling it out, she could feel the resistance - the foreignness - of Melony’s presence in the gem. She’d gotten so used to it that she’d completely blanked it out.

Mami began pressing into the gem with her ribbons. Instead of flowing through it, they went  _ into  _ it. She willed them to swarm Melony’s soul, try to bind it so she could figure out what to do next.

She nearly balked as Melony’s soul flashed and began pressing hard against Mami, as if rebelling against her attempts. Mami focused harder, and harder, and  _ harder _ …

At the same time it felt like something had popped in her head, Mami  _ felt _ herself in the gem. Floating about aimlessly, Mami then realized that she’d had it all wrong. Mami wasn’t surrounding Melony.  _ Melony was surrounding her _ .

She was trapped. Had  _ been _ trapped. For how long she didn’t know. Since the beginning? At some point in-between? Was this to control Mami? Keep her in line?

Mami steeled herself, then flared her soul around her. Long silky ribbons billowed out, pressing against the prison around Mami’s soul. She flooded the area with everything she had.

After a few moments of pressure, she felt Melony’s soul losing its grip. The problem was that they had come to a slight stalemate. Mami didn’t have the oomph needed to force the elder, stronger hero out of herself.

A red ribbon caught her attention. It twisted in front of her like a dancing leaf. A purple pulse emanated from it before something solid slammed into the gem. Something shifted; Melony’s hold loosened. It was the opening Mami needed as she  _ pressed hard _ -

Suddenly Mami was back in her apartment. But it was overwhelming.

Ribbons were  _ everywhere _ . Many things were simply made from ribbons, while others flowed in and out of the room. It was like the world was breathing ribbons. Mami looked around in wonder, looking at everything existing in its strange pattern of twisting and living ribbons. She could see the gem on the table, a shining pile of torn ribbons.

“Mami. Are you okay now?”

Mami looked over to Homura. She wasn’t made of ribbons. But ribbons flowed in and out of her. One, the red ribbon, came straight from Homura’s heart. Mami followed it…

...to Mami’s own heart. All other ribbons she saw were yellow.

What was Mami seeing? Was it everything’s souls? Were they the connections to each other? Why would Melony suppress that?

Something caught Mami’s eye. There was a ribbon on her table that looked...loose. It was out of place. It bothered her. So she pulled it out.

Mami and Homura both fell backwards from the table as it suddenly broke, its legs caving in and the top splintering down the middle.

That was when Mami realized...realized why Melony had hidden it from her. What, exactly, it all meant. “Oh.”


	5. Chapter 5

“You can instantly kill things now?” Sayaka asked, then exclaimed, “Good! Go kill Kyubey and get my soul back!”

Mami, Homura, Madoka, and Sayaka were currently in Homura’s apartment trying to brainstorm what they could possibly do to save Sayaka. How could they defeat a possibly extraterrestrial creature that ate souls?

“I doubt it’s that easy,” Homura said, eyeing Sayaka. “Kyubey can’t be that easy to defeat.”

“Sure it can! We haven’t even tried it!” Sayaka elbowed Mami. “You’re my new best friend, once you kill Kyubey.”

“Sayaka!” Madoka cried with a little bit of hurt.

“I-I mean, I can have  _ two _ best friends, can’t I?” Sayaka backtracked hard.

“No. You can’t,” Homura replied.

“Uuuuuugh.” Sayaka grabbed her head and rested it in her lap. “Party pooper.”

“Let’s get back on topic.” Mami tried to ignore the ribbons flying around her, especially the red ones. “Kyubey. What do we know about it?”

“It’s a monster that eats souls of the unsuspecting,” Homura said, standing from her seat. At the same time, one of the screens on her wall lit up, displaying the little creature lazing about across the street on a roof. “It claims to be saving the universe. At the cost of the very souls of all super girls it ‘contracts’ with.”

“I-”

_ Bzzzzzzt _ !

Sayaka growled as she looked at her phone for at least the dozenth time since they started their meeting. “Kyousuke keeps texting me! He can’t stop thinking of me. I think he’s getting obsessed or something.”

“Unsurprising considering Kyubey’s influence. It will likely get worse,” Homura noted.

“I can’t see how,” Sayaka grumbled back.

“You know better than to tempt fate like that!” Madoka waved a finger at Sayaka.

“Fate…” Mami looked at the ribbons around her. Could she...manipulate them? Maybe?

She looked more closely at Sayaka. Closer, and closer.

“Uh? Are you alright, Mami?” Sayaka asked, recoiling backwards from Mami’s gaze.

Mami shushed her as she focused hard. Looking, feeling, deep into Sayaka’s soul.

... _ There _ ! An anomaly. Something that didn’t belong there.

It was the creature. An almost caricature was tracing itself along a bright white ribbon inside Sayaka. It seemed to be slowly chewing the strands, as if savoring a favorite dish.

Could she pull it off? Mami decided to try. She reached in with her ribbons, aiming to wrap up-

Suddenly it bit down on Mami’s ribbon closest to its mouth.

Mami was  _ gone _ .

Out, somewhere far away she existed in the nothing. An empty black space. She turned about this way and that, trying to figure out what-

Fear shot through her as she realized it was  _ right in front of her _ . A mass, invisible but still very real, seemed to be observing her. Ribbons, numerous, unending, invisible from everything but her soul, flowed from it across the vast universe. Its maw opened, ready to snap her up whole...


	6. Chapter 6

The red ribbon pulled taut. A flash of purple was followed by a voice.

“What’s going on?”

Mami was frozen, unsure of what was happening. The _thing_ in front of her was clearly about to eat her as she noticed one of the ribbons from her stuck inside its mouth. But it was as frozen as she was now. Nothing moved beyond the ribbons connected to her. All other ribbons, including the ones coming from the monster, seemed almost stopped in time.

“Mami! Are you okay?”

It finally registered. The voice, and what it meant.

“You can stop time,” Mami breathed. She wished it had been literal as she felt she was suffocating.

“I can,” Homura confirmed. “Are you safe?”

Mami looked up at the thing that must have been Kyubey. She traced the red ribbon while also trying to pull her own ribbon free from its mouth. “I will be in a moment.”

“I can’t hold this forever,” Homura said, voice beginning to strain.

Mami wrapped the ribbon around her arm and _pulled_. The ribbon snapped, recoiling back into herself. She could feel the missing piece yet knew it would regenerate.

“There! I’m free!” Mami swiftly turned and looked to the red ribbon. She pulled on it-

A hand was in her face. Mami pulled back and looked around the hand. Sayaka was frozen in front of her, Madoka looking on from behind. Next to Mami, Homura now sat, watching her.

“Are you okay now?” Homura asked. Belatedly, Mami realized that Homura had a hand wrapped around Mami’s own.

“...Yes.” Mami shook her head as Sayaka and Madoka came back to life. “I saw Kyubey.”

“Well, yeah. There’s one right outside,” Sayaka said.

“No. I mean I saw _it_. Its core, where they all connect to.”

“Whaaaaat?” Sayaka boggled. “It's got one of those?”

Mami nodded. “It almost ate me. Just like it’s eating Sayaka, except all at once.”

“Good.”

Madoka, Sayaka, and Mami all turned their gaze to Homura. Madoka asked, “What’s good about that? Mami almost got eaten!”

“It’s good because now we have something we can attack.” Homura looked at Mami. “Can you get there again? To where it is?”

“I...think so.” Mami thought. “I think that as long as its eating Sayaka I can get to it.”

“Eeeewwwwwwww…” Sayaka shuddered.

“Then we can plan,” Homura said. “Gather everything we can to destroy it.”

“But how?” Madoka pondered. “You didn’t physically go there. How can we attack something like that?”

Homura gave an uncharacteristic smirk as she reached down and pulled a gun out of nowhere. “Madoka, you seem to forget my space.”

“Oh!” Madoka bapped herself on the head. “Yeah, you might be able to do that.”

“Your space?” Mami asked.

“I have an extradimensional space where I put things I think will be useful,” Homura explained. “Its tied to my powers-”

“-which are tied to your soul,” Mami finished. Impressed, she asked, “Is there anything you can’t do?”

“Yes.” The word was strangely bitter.

Mami decided to reassure Homura by petting the hand that was still in Mami’s. Homura pulled it back suddenly as Sayaka seemed to puff confidently to herself about something.

“So what we need to do is load Homura up, get her and Mami to zap over to it, then BAM! Explode everything all at once!” Sayaka exclaimed.

“Pretty much,” Mami agreed.

“It likely won’t be that easy,” Homura said grimly.

“Then we’ll just make everything blow up _twice_ ,” Sayaka countered.

“Can something blow up twice?” Madoka wondered.

Mami clenched her fist. “I think we can manage to make that happen.”

* * *

Mami felt crazy. Here she was, hanging around a warehouse known for its ties to the supervillain crew The Elites like some kind of criminal herself, while Homura raided their stocks.

How had she gotten drawn into this? Why did Homura bring her along? Surely with her time stopping powers she could’ve done it herself?

“I’m back,” Homura said from next to Mami. Mami was used to it now; it seemed to be the only way Homura knew to unstop time almost. Either that or she liked surprising Mami.

“Good. I feel rather...underclassed here,” Mami replied. “Did you get what you need?”

Homura nodded. “They actually had some napalm and a small array of nuclear rayguns.”

Mami frowned. “I feel like we should report them.”

“For what? I took all of it,” Homura noted. “All they have is themselves now.”

“That’s true…” Mami began counting off, “Now we have a few nuclear options, napalm, plasma beams, freeze rays, disintegration rays…”

“This is likely all there is in the city.”

“I wouldn’t be surprised!” Mami tittered. “Now what do we do? Go get ready?”

“Actually…” Did Homura seem...abashed? “I was wondering if you wanted to eat before we got down to business. It wouldn’t do to weaken ourselves by skipping a meal beforehand.”

Mami blinked. Was she…? Instead of possibly embarrassing Homura, Mami simply nodded. “Sure. I know a nice little cafe not too far from your apartments…”


	7. Chapter 7

Mami was giggling at something obvious that Homura had pointed out during their little date when it happened.

_ Tomoe Mami _

Mami blinked, confused. She looked around her, trying to figure out where the voice had come from.

“Mami, what’s wrong?” For some reason, Homura’s voice sounded muffled. Like it was at the end of a tunnel.

“I…” Mami tried saying. Her mouth felt so far away.

_ Tomoe Mami. We heard you. As you hear us _ .

“Mami!” Homura stood and reached over. “Are you-”

_ Inconsequential _ .

Mami was struggling to do something. Whatever it was was overtaking her mind. It was like a pillow suffocating her.

_ Don’t you want your wish, Tomoe Mami? We can grant it to you _ .

Her eyes widened. She managed to squeak, “Kyubey?”

Homura’s mouth moved but she didn’t say anything. At least, anything Mami could hear.

_ We heard your wish, deep in your soul. Your desire to be normal, with friends. Parents. A normal life. _

With each word images appeared. A picture of Mami surrounded by regular classmates, laughing about something. Mami’s long-dead parents, hugging her and telling her about how proud of her they are. Mami paying no attention to any monster attacks, or superhero/villain encounters. An insulated normal life.

_ We can grant that to you _ the voice repeated.  _ All you need to do is make the wish _ .

Mami was lost in the darkness again. The  _ thing _ was in front of her, chewing on the ribbon Mami had left behind. It was condensed now; several of the cat bodies floated around them, looking on.

The need pressing on Mami’s soul was intense. She  _ knew _ it wasn’t lying. It could give her all the dreams she’d ever dared to have. Impossible dreams.

Except, now, they weren’t.

_ Make the wish, Tomoe Mami _ .

“I...wish…” The words felt forced from her. She was fighting against saying anything else.

_ Make. The. Wish. _

“I…” Mami shuddered, then shouted, “NO!” She glared forward. “I refuse!”

_ We are patient. We can sit here forever, waiting. Eventually you will give in to your desires and dreams. _

“And you’ll eat my soul,” Mami finished for them.

_ A mere exchange requirement. We give you what you want, we get what we want. In this way the universe is saved _ .

“The path to hell is paved with good intentions,” Mami countered.

_ At least then hell would exist instead of a blank nothingness _ . Somehow, Mami felt like she had annoyed it even with the same steady voice.

The cat bodies moved forward then. One got right in her face. Mami tilted her head away even as it reached out with an ear. Even with her struggles she failed as it lightly touched against her forehead.

Her soul rocked backwards as she was engulfed in a sea of altered reality. Strange shapes, textures, colors overwhelmed her as they shot through her.

_ You aren’t the first to resist. You won’t be the last. You are but one of many, like Miki Sayaka. Give in as the rest of them did. Join the dream that connects reality like one of your many ribbons. _

“No!” Mami curled in on herself. “Nonononono-”

Another ear touched her. Images blinded her; it was as if her soul was being torn apart by the flood.

_ You can stop this. All you need to do is make your wish. Don’t you want your dreams to come true? We can’t guarantee there will be anything left of you if things continue as they are. _

“C-can’t…” Mami could barely form words.

_ BAM! BAM BAM BAM! _

Even with how loud it must have been, Mami barely heard the blasts. It sounded like...guns?

The fog of impossible images receded. Finally Mami was able to see and hear again, bound back to reality.

In front of her, touching her shoulder and floating in the nothing in front of the Kyubey, Homura floated defensively. An array of guns were floating around her, many of which Mami couldn’t even identify. For some reason, Homura had an impressive collection of six-shooters.

“Don’t touch her,” Homura growled. “I won’t let you hurt her.”

_ Just as you wouldn’t have us touch Miki Sayaka? _ The taunt was obvious.

“Thank you,” Mami murmured as she adjusted herself to be more prepared to fight. She pulled herself forward so she was next to Homura. Muskets burst to life as did a layer of ribbons as Mami looked to her right.

Homura looked determined. Entirely unphased by the monster in front of them. It stirred even more courage in Mami’s gut.

They could do this.

_ What do you hope to accomplish, Akemi Homura? Why do you struggle against inevitability? _

More of the cat puppets appeared, pulled from all over the universe to confront them. Mami strengthened the red ribbon as they both split up. Homura pulled out a tommy gun and began to stop and start time. Thanks to the ribbon, Mami was able to watch as Homura skillfully burst between the layers of Kyubey and shred them to pieces.

Mami wasn’t too far behind. With every time stop, Mami summoned another set of muskets that blasted groups of Kyubey to messy blobs. Like a dance, Homura and Mami traded off between them. Group after group of Kyubey were mowed down like grass to a blade.

Yet even with their efforts, the space around them just continued to fill up with Kyubey. The empty smiles accented their horror.

Soon, too soon, Mami was back-to-back with Homura. Around them in a sphere were never-ending Kyubey.

_ Why don’t either of you want your dreams to come true? You both want the same thing. Why not make the wish together and spend the rest of your days in mundane comfort? _

Homura snarled, “Your wishes are poison, Kyubey. It’s practically an insult for you to keep offering your lies.”

_ Soon you won’t have a choice. You’ll tire eventually. _

Mami snorted but couldn’t help but feel Kyubey’s words. She was already beaten down from Kyubey’s initial assault. Homura’s constant time stops were probably wearing on her as well.

How could they turn the tide? Mami tried hard to focus, thinking. The ribbons connecting the Kyubey to their core pulsed.

But...under it, Mami felt herself. She felt Sayaka. She felt  _ so many others _ in the Kyubey.

She wondered…

“Homura. I have an idea.” Mami tried hard to make herself heard over the guns firing in constant sprays at the Kyubey.

“Oh?” Homura stopped time then turned around. “I’m listening.”

“That thing ate part of my soul. I can feel it in there. I can feel Sayaka in there, too. I think...I think I can free us.”

Homura blinked. “How?”

“Cover me. Cover me and I’ll do what I need to do,” Mami assured her.

Homura frowned. “Mami. What are you going to do?”

“Wish me luck!” Mami dared and ducked forward to kiss Homura on the lips.

As she thought, Homura dropped the time stop at the shock of the kiss. Mami zipped forward, clearing out a path as she went towards the core of the Kyubey. Behind her, she could hear Homura getting back into action. Time started and stopped in the nick of time each time Mami was starting to get surrounded.

Mami stared forward at the mass, focused entirely on getting there.

Suddenly, the Kyubey weren’t surrounding her. The space between her and Kyubey was open. They were, instead, focusing on Homura. Mami came face-to-face with the mass itself.

_ Are you going to make your wish, Tomoe Mami? _

“Why yes, I think I will,” she replied.

“ _ Mami _ !” she heard Homura cry behind her. Mami wished she could’ve reassured Homura. But there hadn’t been time.

_ Let your wish be known to us, and we will grant it. _

Mami took a breath. She could do this. This wasn’t just for her. It was for all superpowered girls, like Sayaka.

And Homura.

“I wish I knew which ribbon in you was the one that would destroy you,” Mami wished.

_ Granted. Though we do not know what good that would do since you’ll be powerless to do anything. _

At the same time Mami magically knew which thread to pull to undo Kyubey, the ribbon that was the core of her powers began being sucked from her into the gaping maw of the Kyubey.

As the end of the ribbon emerged from her, Mami grabbed hard to keep herself connected to her powers. Quickly, she summoned Tiro Finale and aimed even as she was pulled into Kyubey.

“Goodbye,” Mami said to the air as she blew away the section of Kyubey between her and the thread. Then, before she was completely gone, one solitary ribbon she had attached to the bullet grabbed the thin ribbon and pulled it towards her and into Kyubey.

She  _ burned _ . The only thing that registered to her now was the burning as she was torn asunder inside of the Kyubey. She held on as long as she could, trying to make sure…

...make sure…

...make…


	8. Chapter 8

A light.

There was a light. In the darkness it was a glaring thing. The darkness was a relief from the torment of before, so why was it being interrupted by this intruder?

But wait. The torment...was gone.

She looked more closely at it, the shining bright light.

It was a rainbow. A rainbow of gold, accented by a flowing red ribbon. She felt like she could choose. Follow this light, or stay in the cool, forgiving darkness?

Hesitantly, she took hold of the ribbon and went towards the light.

* * *

“-all an ambulance!” a voice shouted from somewhere near her.

Mami’s head ached as she seemed to come to in a crowd of people. They were looking down at her which was when she realized she must have fainted. Most of them were unfamiliar, but one with unfamiliar concern watched her carefully.

“Are you…?” Homura murmured, hand resting on Mami’s chest.

“I...I’m fine.” Mami pulled herself up to a sitting position. “Just a little overwhelmed.”

“Understandable.”

“I bet it was our dessert! The best in the city!” a very panicked waitress was calling out faux jovially.

“I’m fine!” Mami said more loudly, getting up with Homura’s help. “I won’t need an ambulance.”

“Are you sure?” a random pedestrian, a short dark-skinned woman, asked.

Mami looked around at all the laypeople. All the normal people that made up the world that she loved. Smiling, she replied, “Yes. But thank you for the concern.”

* * *

“Homura!” Madoka cried down from her balcony as Homura and Mami walked up to the apartment building. “Homura, you won’t believe it!”

“I-” Mami was cut off as someone jumped off of Madoka’s balcony. She started to jump into action but was stopped by the waving hand of Homura.

They fell hard onto the concrete. Then, cheering, they jumped up from the small pile of broken street.

“Ta-da!” Sayaka cheered. The bloody nose she’d gotten healed right before Mami’s eyes. “I’m all better now!”

“Really?” Mami couldn’t help but ask flatly.

“How many times have I told you not to do that?” Homura said sharply.

“I can’t help it! I’m so happy that I’m complete now. _And that Kyousuke stopped blowing up my phone_.” Sayaka shook her head. “He started threatening to hurt himself if I didn’t promise myself to him! How nuts is that?!”

Madoka burst out of the building, again in pajamas. “Sayaka! How many times do we have to tell you-”

“Homura already grumbled about it,” Sayaka noted, waving a hand.

Sayaka laughed. That got Madoka to start giggling. Mami couldn’t help but to join in for an entirely different reason.

Relief. Everything was fine. They’d managed to defeat Kyubey and save Sayaka and innumerable others.

A fourth voice joined in. Confused, Mami looked over to find a red-head had joined their group, a half-eaten apple in her hand. The girl laughed a couple of more times before asking, “So, what’s the joke?”

* * *

“Here.”

Mami looked up as Homura handed her a plate. She gladly accepted the plate heaped up with a pile of fried rice and egg. Homura sat down next to her as they looked out from the roof across the city. Mami waited until Homura was settled before she broke her chopsticks apart and took a few bites of her food.

It wasn’t bad. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t good either. For some reason, she expected Homura to be an expert chef.

She took a half-hearted bite before saying, “Homura?”

Homura had to swallow before she replied, “Yes?”

“Kyubey...it said that you had the same dream as me?”

“...Yes. I wanted a normal life, away from all of this world’s problems.” She closed her eyes. “I wanted friends, family, normal school days…I wanted to be not alone.”

“You aren’t alone.” Homura’s gaze snapped to Mami. Mami perfectly countered, “You have Madoka, and Kyouko, and Sayaka…” She reached over and set a palm against Homura’s cheek. “And me.”

Homura looked surprised for a moment before she smiled. “And you.”


	9. Epilogue

Mami sighed happily as she took a sip of tea. It was a new flavor infused with honey and rose. It was surprising how much Mami liked it!

She looked across her cafe table at her partner. “Well?”

Homura was chewing a piece of cake with thought. She swallowed and took a moment to assess it. “It was...acceptable.”

“Acceptable?” Mami let out a short laugh. “I suppose you think the cafe near your apartment has better dessert?”

“Of course,” Homura replied in her same tone.

Mami toyed with her cup. It was finally time to ask a question she’d had on the tip of her tongue. “Homura?”

”Yes?”

”How did you find me? When Kyubey took me?”

Homura was quiet for a moment. “There was a ribbon. It was calling for me. I needed to follow it. I knew you would be there.”

Mami was surprised. Homura saw one of her ribbons, one that was normally not visible to others? Interesting. “Well then, if that’s the case then I-”

She was cut off as she noticed a suspicious individual clearly beginning to charge up some kind of attack. Mami sighed as she pointed to Homura’s left. “Looks like we have to do something.”

Homura looked over. “Yes, I suppose we will.”

Homura reached over and grabbed Mami’s hand. Time froze, then reversed around them. The suspicious individual went backwards back into the side alley they had clambered from. The two of them went in there where the person was clearly organizing reagents and such to use for some kind of attack.

“What should we do?” Homura asked.

“Hm…” Mami thought for a moment. The person looked to be no older than a preteen. They were even younger than Madoka. Whatever they would’ve done would’ve been basically a child playing with things they didn’t understand. Children often didn’t listen to anything but one thing. There was only one solution.

Homura looked at her and nodded.

Mami smiled. Homura knew her so well.

* * *

Time had resumed around them. They were again debating cafes in the city. Except, well, this time they didn’t have someone trying to cause trouble. Things were back to normal.

Then, suddenly, a child hopped their way out of a side alley, tied head to toe with ribbon. They fell over, the reagents and such spilling onto the street.

Together they would have resulted in destruction. Now? Just pot holes.

Yes, things were back to normal. At least, as normal as they could be.


End file.
